Transporter for heavy loads

ABSTRACT

A transporter for heavy loads has an upper pallet with peripheral supporting rails, and a sub-structure inside and spaced apart from the peripheral rails of the upper pallet. Vertical jacks between the substructure and the upper pallet raise or lower these sequentially, and means such as hydraulic cylinders are arranged to provide relative longitudinal or lateral movement between the upper pallet and the sub-structure when one of these is raised from the ground.

[ Aug. 20, 1974 United States Patent [191 Chambers TRANSPORTER FOR HEAVY LOADS Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood Jr. I t H B. h S t I [75] men or 22? C ambers an a nez Assistant Examiner-Gene A. Church 7 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clement H. Allen [73] Assignee: Hydranautics, Goleta, Calif.

[22] Filed:

[5 7] ABSTRACT A transporter for heavy loads has an upper pallet with Aug. 20, 1973 peripheral supporting rails, and a sub-structure inside and spaced apart from the peripheral rails of the upper pallet. Vertical jacks between the substructure and the upper pallet raise or lower these sequentially, and means such as hydraulic cylinders are arranged to provide relative longitudinal or lateral movement be- 2 mmm m oofi 12 0 Boo mmm d n 8 UN .H mmm C an" S u e "N" m 9 mmh e P Sm A UIF tween the upper pallet and the sub-structure when one UNITED STATES PATENTS of these is raised from the ground.

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5% 5 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 8/1973 Mappin et 1 l i 7 l IIIIIIJEE PATENT En auszmsn PAIENIEDwazmeu SEE! 20$ 3 fia. 4.

P E muczom-a smanr TRANSPORTER FOR HEAVY LOADS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus for stepwise transportation of heavy loads.

2. The Prior Art Prior art devices for stepwise transportation of heavy loads have often comprised a frame or pallet for supporting the load and a plurality of legs supporting the pallet. Jacks are arranged on a sub-structure to raise the pallet legs off the ground, and hydraulic or other means are extended or-retracted to move the pallet and its load a short distance or step. The jacks then lower the pallet so that it is again supported by its legs and the sub-structure and means for moving the pallet are raised and repositioend for another step. An example of this type of transporter is described in US. Pat. No. 3,576,225.

The apparatus of this invention provides a transporter which is simple, rugged, and can be fabricated largely of available steel shapes and readily available components.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Summarized briefly this invention comprises an upper pallet arranged to support a load and which itself is supported on the ground or other surface by peripheral rails. A lower sub-structure is located under the upper pallet with peripheral supporting rails inside and spaced apart from the peripheral rails of the upper pallet. Vertical hydraulic jacks are attached to upper surfaces of the sub-structure and are fitted with top plane bearing pads adapted to bear against plane bearing pads on under surfaces of members of the upper pallet so that the peripheral rails of the upper pallet can be raised off the ground and the upper pallet moved by longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders connected between members of the upper pallet and substructure. The upper pallet is then lowered.

Transverse beams are connected between corresponding vertical jacks on opposite sides of the substructure in the vicinities of their top bearing pads. These transverse beams are adapted to support the substructure on spaced apart short beams attached to cross members of the upper pallet when the peripheral rails of the upper pallet are on the ground and the substructure has been raised by the vertical jacks. The substructure may be moved by the longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders and then the sub-structure lowered and the upper pallet lifted and the step cycle repeated.

The vertical jacks raise' the upper pallet off the ground so that it can be moved laterally and longitudinally by the transfer hydraulic cylinders; and they also raise the sub-structure off the ground when this is required to be moved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 shows a vertical transverse section of the transporter of FIG. 1 taken along the line 44 with the rails of the upper pallet supporting the load, and the sub-structure raised from the ground.

FIG. 5 shows a vertical transverse section of the transporter of FIG. 1 corresponding to that of FIG. 4 but with the upper pallet raised from the ground and supported by the sub-structure through the vertical jacks and their bearing pads.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5 the transporter comprises an upper pallet having peripheral rails as side rails 10 and end rails 12; side rails 10 being connected by a plurality of spaced apart cross members 14. Side rails 10, end rails 12, and cross members 14 are preferably fabricated of heavy steel I beams as illustrated. Comer braces 16 are welded between end rails 12 and cross rails 14 to provide rigidity to the upper pallet assembly. Attached to the undersides of the upper flanges of adjacent pairs of cross members 14 are bearing pads 18, and attached to the upper sides of lower flanges of cross members 14 are short longitudinal beams 20 arranged somewhat inboard of bearing pads 18. It will be noted that bearing pads 18 are attached, as by welding, to the undersides of the upper flanges of cross members 14 and that short beams 20 are attached similarly to the upper sides of lower flanges of cross members 14 so that these attachments are favorably arranged to carry the heavy loads on the bearing pads and short beams.

A sub-structure is arranged inside and underneath the upper pallet. this sub-structure also having peripheral rails as side rails 22 and end rails 24. Rails 22 and 24 are spaced apart somewhat inwardly from corresponding rails 10 and 12 of the upper pallet. Substructure cross members 26 are attached to. side rails 22, and corner braces28 are arranged as shown. Side rails 22 and end rails 24 of the sub-structure are, like the corresponding members of the upper pallet, fabricated of steel I beams. Attached to the top of substructure side rails .10 are a plurality of vertical doubleacting hydraulic jacks 30 on top of whose extending pistons are attached bearing pads 32. Jacks 30 are arranged in locations at the corners of the sub-structure and at the intersections of cross members 26 with side rails 22 so that bearing pads 32 will be in position to slide across the under surfaces of bearing pads 18 on the upper pallet as hereinafter described in more detail. Transverse beams 34 connect the upper ends of opposite pairs of jacks 30 and are provided with underside bearing pads 36, as will be seen more clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, which ride on the top surfaces of longitudinal beams 20 of the upper pallet when the pistons of jacks 30 are retracted and the sub-structure is lifted off the ground with the load being supported by the rails and cross members of the upper pallet as shown in FIG. 4. When the pistons of hydraulic jacks 30 are extended as seen in FIG. 5, the jack bearing pads 32 engage upper pallet bearing pads 18 and lift the upper pallet with the load off the ground. 1

Transfer means are provided to impart relative longitudinal or lateral motion or both, to either the upper pallet of the sub-structure, when one of these is lifted off the ground by action of vertical jacks 30. In the embodiment illustrated such means comprise longitudinal hydraulic cylinders 38 connected between side rails of the upper pallet and the sub-structure by pivoted end mounts 40, and lateral hydraulic cylinders 42 connected between cross members 26 of the sub-structure and short connecting bars 44, by pivoted mounts 46 and 48 respectively. The pivoted end mounts 40, and 46 and 48, are preferably somewhat loosely yet strongly pivoted so that they may accommodate some misalignment when the upper pallet and the substructure are moved vertically relative to each other.

At each end of the upper pallet are shown hydraulic control consoles 50 to and from which conventional hydraulic lines may be run to and from each of vertical jacks 30, longitudinal hydraulic cylinders 38 and lateral hydraulic cylinders 42. Conventional and commercially available equipment is employed to provide a supply of hydraulic fluid under pressure which can be supplied to either side of the pistons in each of these jacks and hydraulic cylinders. The controls to supply pressurized fluid to the vertical jacks 30 and transfer hydraulic cylinders 38 and 42 will also be conventional. Preferably vertical jacks 30 can be interconnected hydraulically, as will be appreciated by these skilled in the art, so that the upper pallet and the sub-structure may be lifted uniformly; or can be actuated individually or in groups when the load approaches its final destination as hereinafter described. The hydraulic fluid supply lines and pressurizing and control equipment have not been shown in the drawings in order to avoid a confusing multiplicity of these items which in and of themselves form no part of this invention, and which can readily be designed and installed by one skilled in the art.

In operation of the transporter of this invention, the pistons of vertical jacks 30 are retracted, as shown in FIG. 4, the sub-structure being carried by transverse beams 34 on short beams 20', the sub-structure side and end rails 22 and 24 being lifted off the ground. The load is supported on the upper pallet whose side and end rails and 12 are now on the ground. Since the substructure is raised it may be moved longitudinally or laterally or both by the action of hydraulic cylinders 38 and 42, the bearing pads 36 on the undersides of transverse beams 34 riding over the top surfaces of short beams as the location of the sub-structure is shifted. When the desired new location for the sub-structure is reached the pistons of vertical jacks are extended as shown in FIG. 5, the rails of the sub-structure being on the ground and the upper pallet with the load being raised by jack bearing pads 36 lifting the upper pallet. The upper pallet and load may now be moved longitudinally or laterally or both, by the action of hydraulic cylinders 38 and 42 until the upper pallet has been moved to a desired new location. It is then lowered to the ground by retraction of the pistons of vertical jacks 30 and the cycle repeated to move the pallet and load stepwise in any direction.

Bearing pads 18 are preferably heavy and are advantageously fabricated as multiple box beam assemblies as shown, since when the upper pallet and the load are supported by the sub-structure, the weight of the load and upper pallet being carried by these elements through the vertical jacks 30 to the sub-structure. The facing surfaces of bearing pads 18 and 32 are plane and can be suitably lubricated so that the upper pallet and load can be moved relative to the sub-structure by the action of the transfer means 38 and 42, when lifted off the ground. Short beams 20 are advantageously also of box beam construction to carry the weight of the substructure when this is lifted off the ground. Bearing pads 36 on the underside of transverse beams 34 and the top of short beams 20 are also plane and can be suitably lubricated so that the sub-structure can be also readily moved by transfer means 38 and 42, when it is raised off the ground.

The transporter of this invention is advantageous in that it employs rails for support of both the upper pallet and the sub-structure to provide continuous footing over an appreciable area and to provide a firm foundation even on irregular ground or other surface. The preferred construction is to employ l beams for the heavy members; these are readily available stell products, and are effective, rugged, and economical. The I beams provide flanges under or over which other elements of the transporter may be attached to provide excellent load carrying design as described. The hydraulic cylinders and jacks are readily available components.

The vertical jacks mounted on the sub-structure perform several functions in that they can lift the upper pallet and the load off the ground while the transporter rests on the sub-structure, and can lift the sub-structure off the ground while the transporter rests on the upper pallet peripheral rails, and also can contribute to positioning of the load when this approaches its final destination. Thus each of these can be lifted sequentially and moved precisely by the longitudinal and transverse hydraulic cylinders to produce stepwise progress and final alignment. The plane bearing surfaces between the upper pallet and the sub-structure provide adequate support for the loads while either the upper pallet or the sub-structure is being moved; the distance either of these can be moved in each step being limited by the horizontal clearances between the sub-structure and the upper pallet. Thus each step can be limited to an effective and precise yet safe distance.

Another advantage of the transporter of this invention is that by selectively actuating the appropriate jacks and hydraulic cylinders in the appropriate direction the transporter can be made to pivot its load about a vertical axis thus changing, for example, from a north-south orientation to an east-west orientation, or can be made to traverse on a diagonal in any of four directions. Additionally, the transporter of this invention can be operated so that when the load approaches its destination it can be accurately finally aligned and positioned, often within a small fraction of an inch. The lateral and longitudinal hydraulic cylinders are used selectively to positions for yaw, and X and y translations. The vertical jacks are used selectively to position in elevation and to orient in pitch and roll. Capability for such accurate positioning makes the transporter of this invention useful for transporting and positioning extremely heavy loads, for example, in a shipyard for moving and mating one ship section with another. The same jacks and hydraulic cylinders used for stepwise transportation are employed for aligning and positioning the load for final mating.

The term ground as employed herein is intended to include any equivalent surface over which the transporter may be operated. The term hydraulic cylinder as employed herein is intended to describe commonly available units having pistons and cylinders either of which may be attached as pivoted ends interchangeably, and which through introduction of fluid under pressure to either side of their pistons, will be double acting. The hydraulic jacks will also be double acting by introduction of fluid under pressure to either side of their pistons.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for stepwise transportation of heavy loads having an upper pallet and a sub-structure, each of said upper pallet and sub-structure adapted to be individually sequentially raised and moved while the other supports the load, in which the improvement comprises:

a. an upper pallet having peripheral rails and cross members connecting said upper pallet peripheral rails",

b. spaced apart plane bearing pads attached to said cross members;

c. a sub-structure underneath said upper pallet having peripheral rails inside and spaced apart from said upper pallet peripheral rails with a plurality of spaced apart vertical jacks mounted on said substructure, the upper portions of said vertical jacks having bearing pads adapted to bear against the plane bearing pads attached to said upper pallet cross members;

d. means attached to said upper pallet for supporting said sub-structure when said sub-structure is raised from the ground by said vertical jacks; and,

e. means connecting members of said upper pallet and said sub-structure capable of imparting relative longitudinal and lateral motion between said upper pallet and said sub-structure when one of these is raised from the ground by said vertical jacks.

2. Apparatus according to claim I in which the said sub-structure is adapted to be supported by spacedapart cross beams connecting pairs of said vertical jacks on opposite sides of said sub-structure in the vicinities of their plane bearing pads, said cross beams resting on short beams attached to said cross members of said upper pallet when said sub-structure is raised off the ground.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said upper pallet peripheral rails and said upper pallet cross members are in the form of l beams.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the bearing pads attached to the undersides of said upper pallet cross members are of box beam construction.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for imparting relative longitudinal movement to said upper pallet and said sub-structure comprise a pair of longitudinal hydraulic cylinders having pivoted end mounts attached to said upper pallet side rails and said sub-structure side rails.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for imparting relative lateral movement to said upper pallet and said sub-structure comprise a pair of spaced apart lateral hydraulic cylinders having pivoted end mounts attached to said upper pallet and said substructure.

7. A method for transporting and positioning a heavy load by'means of apparatus comprising an upper pallet and a sub-structure, a plurality of vertical jacks mounted on said sub-structure having bearing pads adapted to bear against bearing pads attached to said upper pallet, and longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders having pivoted ends attached to said upper pallet and said sub-structure, which comprises:

a. sequentially lifting, moving and then lowering one of said upper pallet and said sub-structure while the other is on the ground to produce stepwise transportation of a heavy load on said upper pallet; and

b. finally positioning said upper pallet and its load by selectively actuating longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders to position for yaw and x and y translation, and selectively actuating said vertical jacks to position in elevation and to orient in pitch 

1. Apparatus for stepwise transportation of heavy loads having an upper pallet and a sub-structure, each of said upper pallet and sub-structure adapted to be individually sequentially raised and moved while the other supports the load, in which the improvement comprises: a. an upper pallet having peripheral rails and cross members connecting said upper pallet peripheral rails; b. spaced apart plane bearing pads attached to said cross members; c. a sub-structure underneath said upper pallet having peripheral rails inside and spaced apart from said upper pallet peripheral rails with a plurality of spaced apart vertical jacks mounted on said sub-structure, the upper portions of said vertical jacks having bearing pads adapted to bear against the plane bearing pads attached to said upper pallet cross members; d. means attached to said upper pallet for supporting said sub-structure when said sub-structure is raised from the ground by said vertical jacks; and, e. means connecting members of said upper pallet and said substructure capable of imparting relative longitudinal and lateral motion between said upper pallet and said sub-structure when one of these is raised from the ground by said vertical jacks.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the said sub-structure is adapted to be supported by spaced-apart cross beams connecting pairs of said vertical jacks on opposite sides of said sub-Structure in the vicinities of their plane bearing pads, said cross beams resting on short beams attached to said cross members of said upper pallet when said sub-structure is raised off the ground.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said upper pallet peripheral rails and said upper pallet cross members are in the form of I beams.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the bearing pads attached to the undersides of said upper pallet cross members are of box beam construction.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for imparting relative longitudinal movement to said upper pallet and said sub-structure comprise a pair of longitudinal hydraulic cylinders having pivoted end mounts attached to said upper pallet side rails and said sub-structure side rails.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for imparting relative lateral movement to said upper pallet and said sub-structure comprise a pair of spaced apart lateral hydraulic cylinders having pivoted end mounts attached to said upper pallet and said sub-structure.
 7. A method for transporting and positioning a heavy load by means of apparatus comprising an upper pallet and a sub-structure, a plurality of vertical jacks mounted on said sub-structure having bearing pads adapted to bear against bearing pads attached to said upper pallet, and longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders having pivoted ends attached to said upper pallet and said sub-structure, which comprises: a. sequentially lifting, moving and then lowering one of said upper pallet and said sub-structure while the other is on the ground to produce stepwise transportation of a heavy load on said upper pallet; and b. finally positioning said upper pallet and its load by selectively actuating longitudinal and lateral hydraulic cylinders to position for yaw and x and y translation, and selectively actuating said vertical jacks to position in elevation and to orient in pitch and roll. 